Has an identity theft struck one of your accounts? Try not to panic! But it is important to act fast to minimize the damage. Here’s what you need to do to get your credit and your finances back on track. Place a fraud alert on each of your credit reports. Phone one of the three, […]
Debt Bytes Blog
Debt Collection: Something Different This Way Comes
By some estimates, more than a third of the adult population in the US is going to come in contact with a debt collector at some point. If you have never had to deal with debt collector before, your only exposure to the industry could be from the media, and perhaps by way of this […]
Rebuild Credit in 5 Important Steps
I need to rebuild credit for myself, and am doing so right now, so I thought I would walk you through some of the steps I’m taking to meet my new credit goals. Please understand that there is no “quick fix” for your credit. Your credit report is created based on your use of borrowed […]
How to File a Credit Dispute Online: DIY Credit Repair
When you file a dispute for inaccurate tradelines on a credit report, for removal, it is affectionately known as “credit repair”, and although I’m no expert, I still feel more qualified to do it than most credit repair companies, who tend to be underhanded in their approach and charge a pretty penny. DIY credit repair? […]
First Progress Secured Credit Card from Synovus
Earlier in the week I engaged in a string of comment replies with a reader who had paid some old collection accounts and is working on rebuilding his credit and improving his FICO score. We exchanged some comments about getting approved for a First Progress secured credit card as a tool to start rebuilding his […]
Is your spouse an obstacle to saving money?
I only ask because my mine is, and really always has been one of our many obstacles to saving money. He is my little spendthrift. Not that I’m blaming anyone for our lack of savings, but it does make saving a bit more difficult. How can it not? Honestly, though, I think it comes down […]
My 5 Most Disastrous Financial Mistakes
Mistakes. Nobody wants to make them, but we do, and by the time we realize it was a mistake, it’s probably too late to do anything about it. And, financial mistakes are some of the worst, because they don’t just affect you. It involves your family, your current income, and your future savings. I’m a […]
Saving Money in a Digital World
Saving money is already hard. Life is expensive and it’s tough to put anything aside for the unforeseeable future. Not only does it take discipline, but you also have to find that little bit of money that you wanted to save in the first place…and maybe you just can’t find it. Well, I have good […]
51 Ways to Side Hustle Your Way to More Money
Our last step in the 5 Steps to Get Out of Financial Purgatory blog series is making more money. Although I believe everyone can save money, no matter how much or how little they make, an exception to this would be for those who feel better about having separation between what you live on and what your […]
Can’t Save Money or Won’t?
If you say you can’t save any money at all, I’m going to immediately call bullshit. You only think you can’t save any money. I have been living paycheck to paycheck most of my life and I thought I couldn’t save any money either, but you know what? I can. I just have to get […]